


how it begins pt I

by camiii



Series: hinterland [2]
Category: Succession (TV 2018)
Genre: Alcohol, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:01:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28731606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camiii/pseuds/camiii
Summary: "Are you going to offer me medical advice? You’re an overachieving, money hungry loser wearing a 300 dollar ranch jacket. You live in an apartment, you don’t even have a fucking backyard.”Set during 2x06 - Argestes.
Relationships: Stewy Hosseini/Roman "Romulus" Roy
Series: hinterland [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2106285
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	how it begins pt I

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion piece to how it begins pt II, set during Argestes and around 6 months before the events of pt II.
> 
> Thanks to elsi-bee for the beta. I can't believe I got to add commas for once.
> 
> Please pay attention to the tags and let me know if you have any questions about them.

By the time the roast is over Stewy is well on his way to getting drunk, and yet he feels like he still has some serious catching up to do to get on the level of most of the too-rich-high-on-their-horses assholes in the room. The temperature inside the bar has been rising steadily and it’s stuffy now, and too loud. Too much fake laughter and whispered gossip for one room. He wouldn’t mind sticking around to listen in on the whispers about Logan Roy and his burning empire, maybe add some kindling to the fires, but there’s a headache building behind his eyes and he could use some air and maybe a cigarette. 

He throws back the last of his drink, leaving the glass on top of the bar without a second look. The air out in the lounge is blissfully cool, and the volume significantly lower. He considers his options, and doesn’t notice Kendall until he’s right by his side. Stewy can barely hide his surprise.

“Hey man, what-”

“Have you seen Roman?”

That’s not what he’d expected Kendall to say. “Did you look in the playroom?”

Kendall throws a look over his shoulder, shifts his weight, and Stewy’s surprised to find him actually looking worried. “I’m serious, Stewy, have you seen him?”

Stewy shakes his head. “I don’t keep track of your little brother, Ken. I’ve been drinking subpar martinis and listening to your dad getting roasted. I’m surprised there isn’t smoke coming out of his ears by now.”

“Right.” Kendall nods, already looking past Stewy’s shoulder. “Whatever.”

Any comeback is pointless, Kendall disappears as quickly as he showed up. Stewy watches him go, and it’s not regret that’s curdling in his stomach, it’s not. Business is business. A small part of him might miss the way he and Kendall would get together at events like this and get high or drunk and have a great time trash talking everyone in attendance. Whatever. Kendall made his choice. Suddenly desperate for some fresh air, Stewy heads outside. It proves to be an excellent idea, the early spring night offering cool temperatures and blessed silence.

He follows one of the fake as fuck nature trails that twist and loop around the hotel, taking the bridge across an even more fake stream. The island he ends up on is dark, only lit up by small spotlights littering the pathway, a little brighter where spotlights light up the railing surrounding the water’s edge. He lights a cigarette, inhaling slowly. He’s so focused on the task at hand that he doesn’t realize he’s not alone until he hears the scrape of shoes against gravel.

Someone’s slumped against the railing, leaning on their forearms against the horizontal top beam. Stewy considers leaving. He’s not in the mood to deal with some newbie who’s either overdosing on oxy or breaking under the pressure of twenty four hour ass-licking. There’s something about the silhouette, however, that has him stalling long enough to recognize the unwelcome addition to his cigarette break.

“Roman?”

“Fuck off, Hosseini.”

Roman sounds as if he’s speaking through clenched teeth, and Stewy should probably just leave. He doesn’t want to know what it is that has Kendall worried and Roman sounding like he could use an inhaler of some sort. If he’s honest with himself it’s likely he’s to blame, after all.

“Are you okay?”

“That wasn’t an invitation to stick around asking stupid questions, shitface.” Roman replies, but he doesn’t look up, clearly focusing very hard on breathing.

“That’s a lot of words from someone who should probably be breathing into a paper bag.” 

Roman doesn’t reply and Stewy immediately feels like an asshole. He remembers the first time Leila had a panic attack when he was around. He’d come home from college for Thanksgiving and had been shocked to find his little sister a lot more subdued than when he’d left a couple of months earlier. His parents hadn’t seemed to notice, but he’d had a gut feeling something was wrong and was determined to find out. Thinking maybe there was some idiot guy who had broken her heart, he’d prodded and pushed until, to his horror, she’d lapsed into a full blown panic attack right in front of him. He hadn’t known what to do then, but he’d learned soon enough. 

It’s been years since he had to test his skills with Leila. While Roman doesn’t seem to be doing too badly, it’s the fact that it’s Roman that’s a bit of a mindfuck. Roman fucking Roy. To be honest Stewy hadn’t thought Roman of having enough emotional depth to even be capable of panicking. He’d try and help somehow if he wasn’t so sure Roman might actually bite his head off if he did. Instead he smokes his cigarette, and waits.

“Asshole.” Roman mutters, quietly, once Stewy has counted to five successful deep inhales in a row. “Why are you still here? Tabloid fodder?”

Surprisingly, that stings. “Kendall’s looking for you.”

Roman glares up at him. “So? Since when are you and Kendall on speaking terms anyway?”

“We’re not.”

Roman stands up straight and slowly turns around to lean back against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. That’s when Stewy spots it. Roman’s cheek is red and swollen with the beginning of a bruise.

“What-”

“Fuck off.” Roman mutters, jaw twitching. “It’s nothing.” 

“Right.” Stewy takes an involuntary step closer to get a better look. “Who did you piss off this time?”

“Can you fucking- It’s nothing. I got in the way.”

The last part comes out sounding a lot more like a question than Roman had probably intended. Stewy’s stomach drops. “Logan.”

Roman startles, and he’s glaring at Stewy again but it has no real fire. “What? No.”

“Your dad hit you.” Stewy repeats. 

Suddenly he’s fifteen again, roughhousing with Kendall and being shook to the core when Kendall cries out as Stewy grabs his upper arm. He still remembers the finger shaped bruises on Kendall’s arm, but even more clearly he remembers Kendall’s stammered excuse. It wasn’t even the first time he wanted to punch Logan Roy in the face but it’s one of the more memorable occasions.

“It was an accident.” Roman says, in a painful echo of teenage Kendall’s words, and Stewy is so fucking sick of listening to the Roy siblings continually making excuses for Logan.

“Roman-”

“It’s not-” Roman cuts him off. “My dad-”

He doesn’t finish the sentence, and for a second he looks very, very young.

“Let me see.”

“It’s fine.”

“Then let me see it.”

“Why? Are you going to offer me medical advice? You’re an overachieving, money hungry loser wearing a 300 dollar ranch jacket. You live in an apartment, you don’t even have a fucking backyard.”

“My dad’s an oncologist.” Stewy has no idea why he even volunteered that bit of information, but Roman’s deflecting is so painfully obvious Stewy can’t even muster an appropriate comeback.

“Wait, what?” Roman’s brow lifts. “You’re saying you didn’t hatch from a slimy egg or something? A science experiment gone horribly wrong.”

There’s no stopping the laugh that bursts out of him. “Like in Alien?” Stewy grins. “Sorry to disappoint. I do have parents. Sisters too, actually.”

“I don’t care.”

“Of course you don’t.”

Stewy reaches out, surprising both of them by grabbing Roman’s chin and angling his face a little to get a better view. There’s a bruise forming across the highpoint of Roman’s cheekbone, as well as a bloody nick at the corner of his mouth. It’s not too bad, but-

“You should put some ice on this.” Stewy tells him, quietly. 

There’s a possibility he’s never actually touched Roman before. He’s not sure what possessed him to do it now. Roman’s stock-still beneath his fingers. Stewy swallows, at once very aware of how close they’re standing. So close there’s nothing to keep him from seeing the way Roman’s eyes briefly stray to Stewy’s lips. 

That’s new.

Stewy’s barely breathing, captivated by the sudden tension in the air between them. Kissing Roman has never really seemed like an option before now. He’d never had even the slightest notion that an advance would be welcomed, but tonight is seemingly full of surprises. 

He won’t lie and say that he hasn’t been paying attention. There’s always been something about Roman that makes it difficult for Stewy to look away. Something about the way Roman is never, ever still, always moving, always talking that makes Stewy want to hold him still for long enough to see what happens. This, apparently. A delicious crackle in the air that makes his mouth dry up and his heartbeat quicken. He tightens his hold and Roman actually fucking gasps. It’s quiet and barely audible but Stewy’s pretty sure his entire worldview was just upended by one small, delicious sound.

The spell breaks when Roman steps back, pushing his hair back and straightening the lapel on his blazer. “I have to go-” He shoves both hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Ice-”

Stewy’s mind is reeling. “Right, yeah.”

Roman hurriedly disappears down the pathway without looking back, shoulders hunched slightly forward. Stewy watches him go, absentmindedly rubbing a hand across his jaw.

Huh.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please share [the tumblr fic post if you can](https://camiii.tumblr.com/post/640199624599240704)


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